Just Breathe
by HannahBerrie
Summary: Anna's fallen through the ice, and Kristoff doesn't know if he'll be able to save her. (Cover image credit goes to tumblr's frozenmusings)


It had all happened so quickly. Anna had just been treading through the snow alongside Kristoff and Sven, admiring all the intricate things Elsa had created with this winter. Thinking back, she couldn't remember clearly what had exactly happened. She knew Kristoff had been talking to her about something, most likely about another "incredible" ice formation he'd spotted.

She had been eyeing him shyly while he talked. He was such a dork sometimes, especially when he got to talking about ice. It was kind of cute, actually. She remembered thinking that he had nice eyes. She had noticed that whenever he was happy they would light up. He had seemed happy before it had happened. Kristoff had been smiling at her as they walked, and Anna could still remember all those fuzzy feelings she had gotten whenever their arms accidentally brushed against each other, or when he said her name.

She should have been paying more attention. But then again, it had come out of nowhere. One moment, they had been walking across a frozen lake. The ice was supposed to be thick enough, Kristoff had tested it himself. But that didn't stop what happened next. Everything was fine at first, they had almost made it halfway across the lake. She remembered she had opened her mouth to respond to something Kristoff had said.

Then there was a crack.

And then, she was falling.

She crashed through the ice, immediately becoming engulfed in the freezing water below. The water hit her like thousands of needles, stabbing her from all sides. It filled her veins, making her immobile. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't think. Bubbles clouded her vision, making it even more impossible to see in the murky water. She tried to scream but no sound came out, and instead water just rushed into her open mouth, causing her to choke violently. Anna clutched at her throat and tried to kick her way up, but she just felt so heavy. Her cape was weighing her down, and her boots were filling with water. She was sinking like a rock.

It was so cold. Her brain was starting to shut down and she found herself faintly wondering if it was possible to cry underwater.  
The farther Anna sank, the more her head pounded. All other sounds seemed to be suddenly put on mute, all she could hear was a penetrating ringing in her ears. She felt like she was about to explode. Her eyelids were becoming heavier and heavier as the chill of the water attacked her from all sides.

The water was getting darker and darker as Anna finally realized she must be drowning. It was all so surreal. She was so far down by now that she could barely see a thing. She could faintly hear the sound of rushing water above, but it sounded so far away, so muffled. The ringing wouldn't stop She could faintly recognize the shadow of a figure above her, but she couldn't lift her head to get a better look. She tried to keep her eyes open, but it was just too hard. The whole world was slowly getting darker and darker, her whole body was numb, and then, everything just went black.

It was the sound of her scream that had gotten his attention first. Kristoff quickly turned over to look at her, but she had already fallen through. "Anna!"

Immediately he yanked off his boots, hat, and mittens and dove into the water after her. The first sensation he felt was pain. The water was so bitterly cold, it felt like it was almost burning him alive. The next thing he felt was fear._ This was all his fault._ His heart jerked in his chest as he saw Anna struggling below, a flurry of bubbles flying out of her mouth in a silent scream.

And then, quick as a wink, she just stopped. Her body fell limp, and her head titled back.

_No._

Kristoff didn't give himself any time to think about anything other than getting Anna to safety. He braced himself against the chill and continued swimming farther down.

After what seemed like an eternity, he finally had her in his grasp. His lungs felt like they were about to burst from holding his breath for so long, and his eyes were stinging like mad. He tried his best to ignore it as he wrapped his arms around Anna and began fighting his way to the surface.

The water was so dark and dense, and he struggled to keep a hold on Anna while still ascending. His mind was getting more and more numb, but he kept his eyes on above, not willing to just lie back and give up. He was almost there…just a little…bit…further…

With a brilliant flash of light they resurfaced. Kristoff gasped for air and flung himself onto the ice, still clutching Anna in his arms. He was sputtering and shivering like crazy, but he was mostly happy to still be up and moving. He gripped Anna tightly as he stood up and ran to a spot of safety, off of the side of lake. She felt so cold, lying there motionless in his arms.

"It's okay Anna." He found himself whispering to her. "I've got you, you're going to be okay. You're safe now."

The sense of fear he had gained upon entering the lake was only growing stronger now. It increased with every step that he took, every second that passed by of Anna lying there, her face so deathly pale.

He lay her back on a snowbank, his hand now supporting her head. "C'mon Anna, wake up!" He said desperately, knowing how futile that statement was. "Please, Anna!" He pressed his head up to her chest, trying to make out a heartbeat.

Silence.

He felt his eyes starting to sting again. "You gotta wake up, Anna!" He protested. He could feel his hands shaking as he started performing CPR. "We still gotta save your sister, remember? She's not going to be happy if you're all knocked out and unconscious when we get to her!"

Anna's whole face was white. Her lips were parted slightly and her eyes were closed. If Kristoff didn't know any better, he might have thought that she'd just fallen asleep. But she still wasn't moving, even as Kristoff gave her chest compressions.

Kristoff fought back every instinct in him to cry. She wasn't…No. He wouldn't even consider it for a moment. She couldn't be gone, it was too soon. There were so many things he still had to tell her, the things he wasn't willing to admit until now.

He tilted her head back gently, hating the tears that were starting to leak from his eyes. He was not. Going. To. Cry. He gently pressed his mouth against hers, trying with everything in him to breathe life into her. Her lips felt like ice.

Kristoff sat up, his mind completely numb by now. He could see some of the tears that he'd accidentally let on her face, shining in the bitter sunlight. "C'mon Anna." he pleaded, starting the compressions again. "Just breathe, please. Breathe for me, okay?"

It felt like months passed of Kristoff huddled over Anna's lifeless body, trying everything in his power to save her._ Compressions, breathe, compressions, breathe,_ he kept repeating in his head, not allowing himself to accept the fact that there was no hope left. The only time he had left was slipping through his fingers, never to return.  
He could feel the tears trailing down his face by now, but this time he didn't do anything to stop them. Praying for a miracle, he pressed down on her chest one last time.

And then, she coughed. And in that moment, it was the most beautiful sound Kristoff had ever heard. "Anna?" He exclaimed. He took both sides of her face and held it in his hands, praying that she was really okay.

Anna coughed again, and this time water came spilling out of her mouth. Her body shook, but she was breathing. Her eyelids fluttered open slowly. "K-kristoff?" She whispered.

Kristoff beamed. "Oh my god." He whimpered, pulling her close to him. He could feel her heart beat thumping softly up against his, as well as the warm breaths she left on his neck. It felt amazing. "You're back!"

"Apparently." Anna coughed, her voice slightly clearer now. She buried her face in Kristoff's shoulder, shivering from the cold. "I-I'm a lot stronger than you t-think y-you know." She leaned back and coughed again. "Ugh," She groaned. "I feel like I just s-swallowed the w-whole ocean."

Kristoff laughed, relieved. "I'm just so glad you're safe." He murmured.

Anna let out a sound that was an awkward mix between a cough and a giggle. "How could I not be?" she said, smiling softly. "With you here to p-protect m-me?" Her face looked worn out and tired, her wet hair was plastered to her head, and she was shivering to no end, but her eyes were full of such warmth.

"I t-think I just proved to have done pretty h-horrible job at it." Kristoff muttered, starting to shiver as from the cold. He had just now realized that they were both soaking wet, and the cold wind that had begun to pick up was not helping. He hadn't realized how freezing cold he was until now.

"You j-just saved my life, Kristoff." Anna reminded him. "I t-think that proves just the op-opposite." She leaned close to him and gave him a fragile kiss on his cheek. "And I th-thank you."

Kristoff tried to stop a goofy smile from spreading across his face, but failed. He instead pressed his forehead against hers, closing his eyes in relief. Anna did the same. Moments passed until Kristoff realized if they didn't move along, they'd run the risk of hypothermia.

"C'mon," he said, pulling her up gently by the hand. "L-let's g-get you somewhere warm."


End file.
